Kwahu, a small town in the Eastern Region, has grown to be associated with Easter celebrations to the point where the town has made Easter an annual festival.
Known as one of the most prominent local villages, Kwahu celebrates Easter as its primary holiday. To their credit, they have been “franchised” as a unique Kwahu event for the Easter Festival, which is observed by Ghanaians from all walks of life; thus, the festival’s brand name, Kwahu Easter Festival.
Why Ghanaians celebrate Easter in Kwahu
Kwahu’s Easter celebrations are now so noteworthy that they garner all of the national attention and media attention during that time.
The Kwahus celebrated a holiday called “Okwahu Afahye,” just like every other Akan tribe.
It peaked in December and was observed from October to December. Kwahus, who were well-known for being skilled traders and making trading their primary livelihood, later experienced difficulties with the timing of the Okwahu Afahye, during which the majority of their population moved to Accra, Kumasi, and other significant Ghanaian cities.
The Kwahu Festival, which likewise peaks in December, began to lose favor as a result of the local trading calendar’s apex, which occurs in December because of Christmas celebrations.
As usual, the business-minded Kwahus avoided the festival, and rather opted for the Easter break, to attend the traditionally mandated “home-coming” events.
Oral history states that the Kwahu Traditional Council moved the celebration to Easter in order to maintain patronage, which is why the event is now known as the Kwahu Easter Festival.
During this period, people from different parts of the country travel to Kwahu for the Easter celebrations while indigenes from different parts of the world return home to witness the Kwahu Easter Festival.
The festival only missed out in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Paragliding is a common event in most developed countries like Germany, Holland, Sweden, Australia, and the U.S.A. In Africa, apart from South Africa and Kenya, Ghana is the only country that organizes this event in the West Africa hub.
This was introduced in 2005 as part of the celebrations in Kwahu due to its mountains. The paragliding event has since attracted international visitors in recent times.
In addition to the paragliding event, the festivals boast of other activities like street carnival, highlife concert, health walk, and a myriad of sporting activities.
This year, the Ghana Tourism Authority invited seasoned pilots from around the world to fly hundreds of people for the paragliding event at Kwahu Atibie.
Easter celebrations have become a significant festival for the people of Kwahu mainly because of the income received due to the numerous entertaining activities, the many business connections like to be created etc.
If you ask me, Easter celebrations in Kwahu will forever be a major festival and will continue to stay for the many generations yet to come